this post was submitted on 31 Jul 2024
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I’m feeling like shit on so many levels.
Homelessness, mental illness, Australia being unequal for vulnerable people
There’s an aggressive mentally ill homeless man that’s been coming around my place for ages and now he’s sleeping on a bench right outside my window.So I get to be too scared to put my bin out and he gets to freeze because it’s not safe for me to approach or help him.
Hate the guy’s guts (he’s aggressively had a go at me before and is virulently homophobic) but I don’t want to watch him freeze or have to deal with him.
I’ve been calling the cops for months, psych triage, the local homeless services, nothing has been working.
The best I have is from today - Launch agreeing to pass a ‘sleep site’ on to their outreach team to check. But they don’t come out at night and I don’t know where this scary stranger goes in the day. He also drinks which might exclude him from dorm style shelters (which don’t apparently exist in Australia the way you think of them?) and may also not have the awareness to accept help.
It’s just one of those deteriorating revolving door situations that never ever gets solved. Australia’s systems are broken. Very surprising for a so called rich country.
@melbaboutown @LowExperience2368 Huge hugs.
There were signs up around the apartment block where we live recently warning about a homeless guy who had been trespassing, and to call strata and the police if you see him.
Just from the photo, he looked creepy AF!
Apparently he spent a couple of nights in the basement carpark, and cut power to the building's alarm system one night. (The strata managers only found out after they reviewed the CCTV footage.)
And anyone angry and drunk shouting homophobic slurs is always scary.
So I can definitely relate to how you must be feeling!
You're doing the right thing by trying to help. But I agree it really is shameful how much our pollies have cut the social safety net these past 40-odd years (and both major parties are to blame!). It means people who need help often don't get it.
Take care, stay safe 💜